We Are Family! I've Got My Drag Sisters with Me
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Lake Forest College Publications Lake Forest College Lake Forest College Publications Senior Theses Student Publications 4-1-2014 We Are Family! I’ve Got My Drag Sisters With Me: An Examination of the Relationship Between Visual Media and Drag Family Structure Christopher D. Way Lake Forest College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://publications.lakeforest.edu/seniortheses Part of the American Popular Culture Commons, Rhetoric Commons, and the Television Commons Recommended Citation Way, Christopher D., "We Are Family! I’ve Got My Drag Sisters With Me: An Examination of the Relationship Between Visual Media and Drag Family Structure" (2014). Senior Theses. This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Publications at Lake Forest College Publications. It has been accepted for inclusion in Senior Theses by an authorized administrator of Lake Forest College Publications. For more information, please contact [email protected]. We Are Family! I’ve Got My Drag Sisters With Me: An Examination of the Relationship Between Visual Media and Drag Family Structure Abstract Drag is a performance identity that is based in gay culture. Drag has recently become popularized through various visual media. This study uses visual media and political queer theory to analyze drag’s association with the building block of society: the family unit. Through use of contemporary content analysis and survey data, this thesis examines how the rise of drag in visual media, specifically the television show RuPaul’s Drag Race, has transformed the political structure of drag families. This thesis also argues for a family structure model that is based on collective identity, which has resulted in the popularization of chosen families. Document Type Thesis Degree Name Bachelor of Arts (BA) Department or Program Politics Second Department or Program Communication First Advisor Siobhan Moroney Second Advisor Elizabeth Benacka Third Advisor Miguel de Baca Keywords Drag, gay culture, RuPaul's Drag Race, family Subject Categories American Popular Culture | Rhetoric | Television This thesis is available at Lake Forest College Publications: http://publications.lakeforest.edu/seniortheses/13 Lake Forest College Archives Your thesis will be deposited in the Lake Forest College Archives and the College’s online digital repository, Lake Forest College Publications. This agreement grants Lake Forest College the non-exclusive right to distribute your thesis to researchers and over the Internet and make it part of the Lake Forest College Publications site. You warrant: • that you have the full power and authority to make this agreement; • that you retain literary property rights (the copyright) to your work. Current U.S. law stipulates that you will retain these rights for your lifetime plus 70 years, at which point your thesis will enter common domain; • that for as long you as you retain literary property rights, no one may sell your thesis without your permission; • that the College will catalog, preserve, and provide access to your thesis; • that the thesis does not infringe any copyright, nor violate any proprietary rights, nor contain any libelous matter, nor invade the privacy of any person or third party; • If you request that your thesis be placed under embargo, approval from your thesis chairperson is required. By signing below, you indicate that you have read, understand, and agree to the statements above. Printed Name: Christopher D. Way Thesis Title: We Are Family! I’ve Got My Drag Sisters With Me: An Examination of the Relationship Between Visual Media and Drag Family Structure This thesis is available at Lake Forest College Publications: http://publications.lakeforest.edu/seniortheses/13 LAKE FOREST COLLEGE Senior Thesis We Are Family! I’ve Got My Drag Sisters With Me: An Examination of the Relationship Between Visual Media and Drag Family Structure by Chris Way April 1, 2014 The report of the investigation undertaken as a Senior Thesis, to carry two courses of credit in the Departments of Politics and Communication. __________________________________________ __________________________________________ Michael T. Orr Siobhan Moroney, Chairperson Krebs Provost and Dean of the Faculty __________________________________________ Elizabeth Benacka __________________________________________ Miguel de Baca Abstract Drag is a performance identity that is based in gay culture. Drag has recently become popularized through various visual media. This study uses visual media and political queer theory to analyze drag’s association with the building block of society: the family unit. Through use of contemporary content analysis and survey data, this thesis examines how the rise of drag in visual media, specifically the television show RuPaul’s Drag Race, has transformed the political structure of drag families. This thesis also argues for a family structure model that is based on collective identity, which has resulted in the popularization of chosen families. Dedication This thesis is dedicated to my mother and father, Barb and Dean Way. You both taught me how to persevere throughout life’s challenges. I am eternally grateful for the sense of optimism you instilled in me. Without your encouragement and faith I wouldn’t have accomplished this work. Thank you for providing me with a vibrant life filled with love, happiness, and inspiration. I love you. Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge my other family members, especially my brother, Kyle and stepmother, Tracy. Throughout this study I realized that it isn’t blood that ties a family together; it is the love, support, and acceptance provided by the members in a family unit. Thank you for making our family stronger. Professor Siobhan Moroney. You are a fiercely loyal educator whose spunk and intelligence never fail to amaze me. Thank you for your support with my academic endeavors. I am honored to have had the opportunity to work with you. Sarah Brune. You are my inspiration and I am eternally grateful for your friendship. I would have never written this work without your confidence in me. I am blessed to have you and your family in my life. Thank you for being the BFF I’ve always needed. Trannika Rex. Ugh. I can’t believe I’m actually including you in my acknowledgments. Even though (straight) people may not understand our vernacular, I know you know that I respect and appreciate our friendship. This work wouldn’t have been possible without your horrible insight to drag culture. Thank you for always putting on a terrible show and disappointing me constantly. Table of Contents Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………..1-5 Section 1: The History of Drag in Visual Media………………………………………………….6-21 Section 2: The Family that Drag Races Together Stays Together……………………...22-42 Section 3: Research Method and Findings………………………………………………………43-55 Section 4: The Big (Family) Picture………………………………………………………………..56-65 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………………66-69 Appendix……………………………………………………………………………………………………..........70 Works Cited…………………………………………………………………………………………............71-75 1 Introduction Family structure is the crux of society, and today family units appear differently from ever before. It is important to examine this transformation, because families serve as the building block for society. Family units appear in a contemporary context through the visibility of drag families. The term drag family refers to an entity of kinship consisting of drag queens who mutually support one another based on collective identity. As this thesis will show, drag has traditionally operated as a subculture through which disempowered constituents find agency. Drag has become highly popularized in contemporary mainstream culture due to visual media, and through these media mainstream audiences have become acquainted with drag culture, which includes the recognition of drag families. This thesis examines the relationship between the rise of drag in visual media, specifically through the television show RuPaul’s Drag Race (RPDR), and the transformation of political relationships in drag families. Along with this, I connect my research to broader trends in traditional family units in order to understand how conceptions of the family unit affect society. I argue for a new conception of the contemporary drag family. I begin with an overview of the history of drag in visual media. This examination allows for an understanding of how drag in visual media has evolved: from a “pansy” character to today a powerful art form respected by large audiences. Through a historical account of visual media we see that drag has become demarginalized. Next, I engage in a content analysis of the television show RuPaul’s Drag Race through a drag family-focused lens. After the content analysis I review the survey responses from numerous drag queens in the Chicagoland area. These queens’ insight provides 2 more depth in regards to the study of familial relationships in both drag culture and traditional family units. From here I use the survey results to build theoretical connections to broad trends in traditional family structure. Based on this analysis I express what trends and patterns are evident in both drag and traditional family structure as well as what future research can be conducted in relation to this topic. This subject is unique, and it should be noted that scholarship is rather limited regarding